


31 Days of Wayhaven- Mason x Mariana (Play with Fire)

by SmallTownWriter12342



Series: Mason and Mariana [2]
Category: The Wayhaven Chronicles (Interactive Fiction)
Genre: F/M, Prompts for 31 days of Wayhaven
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-01
Updated: 2020-10-30
Packaged: 2021-03-08 02:35:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 9,966
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26748157
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SmallTownWriter12342/pseuds/SmallTownWriter12342
Summary: This is just all the prompts for 31 days of Wayhaven in one place. I'm making this a series so it is still connected to my original fic.
Relationships: Female Detective/Mason (The Wayhaven Chronicles)
Series: Mason and Mariana [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1944646
Comments: 7
Kudos: 25





	1. Day 1-Sharp-A Sharp Contrast

**Author's Note:**

> Hello!  
> So, I am still going to be updating Play with Fire with my other snippets with these two, but for 31 Days of Wayhaven, they are all going to go here. Hope you guys like it!

Now and then, it hit Mariana just how different her life was now.

Before the murders a few months ago, most days after work she would go straight home, maybe go out with Tina on the weekends, and she resigned herself to a routine. Structure helped her focus, and she did not appreciate anyone messing with that.

Apparently, though, Rebecca and Murphy had other plans.

She was now a liaison of a secretive Agency that she did not trust, and as much as she tried to settle into it, Mariana was starting to doubt she ever was.

At least the team was worth sticking around for.

Unit Bravo had become a constant presence in her life, and something she was becoming more and more sure that it was a good switch. She had immediately bonded with Felix over their shared sense of humor, and had really gotten to know Nate as more then a teammate, and even though she did enjoy pressing Adam’s buttons, there was the start of a mutual respect for each other.

And then of course, there was Mason. He had no problem fanning the fire that burned between them , and she had no qualms about throwing it right back, but recently, there was a change, a softer look between the two of them, and it was not displeasing, far from it. But it did leave her unsure about the future of the two of them, but she tried not to think about it too much.

_If it is meant to burn or die away, only time will tell._

But Mariana was not with the team now, instead in her office, waiting for Captain Sung to come in and see her about the police station’s budget, and he was really not someone she wanted to see.

Usually, Mariana gave him the respect that his title gave him, even quieting her normal knee-jerk reactions. But their last conversation where he seemed to think that her priorities were going to change to Wayhaven because of her job at the Agency had left a sour taste in her mouth.

So, when she heard the door of her office open, assuming that it was Captain Sung, not looking up from her desk she said, “Don’t you normally knock?”, the words coming out before she could stop them, but she decided she was still mad enough to not apologize.

“I don’t know, do I sweetheart?”

The familiar voice made her look up, to see Mason, and trying to ignore the shivers that his gaze gave her, she grinned, “Quite a surprise to see you here”.

“Just a surprise?”, said Mason, a smirk on his lips.

“Adam needed someone to get you”.

“Is something wrong?”

“I don’t know”, said Mason, “He just said he needed someone to get you”.

“And you volunteered?”, Mariana asked, “I’m impressed, sunshine. Didn’t think you had it in you”.

Mason scoffed, his grey eyes never leaving Mariana.

“I do have to meet with Captain Sung soon. How soon does Adam need me?”, she continued, getting back to the point.

How would I know?”, Mason said.

Mariana sighed, and decided to go ahead and wait for Captain Sung for a little longer, still having a job to the station. 

“Just give him a few more minutes”, and she got up from her desk, giving into the urge to move closer to him.

“A lot can happen in a few minutes”, Mason smiled smugly, and Mariana let her hand run down the traces of his jaw, and he pulled her closer into a kiss.

She returned it fully, snaking her hands to his lower back while his hands went to her hair, thankful that the blinds in her office were closed, letting the passion pass between them, and Mariana was sure she never wanted it to end.

The knock at her door had other ideas.

“Ignore it”, Mason muttered, before kissing her again, but Mariana gently broke it off.

“I really would like to”, she said, giving him a grin, brushing a lock of his hair out of his face, and went to open the door.

It was indeed Captain Sung this time, and trying to find the professional bone in her body, said, “Good morning Captain”.

“Yes, good morning Detective Gonzales”, the man said, and he turned his head to Mason, a bite in his voice “I would like to talk to the Detective alone, Agent”.

Mariana noticed Mason roll his eyes, but he left, looking back at her once before leaving, and shutting the door behind him.

She closed her eyes in an effort to save the moment before, and then turned her attention back to Captain Sung, walking back to her desk, “I have the report for the budget for this year”.

“Oh, good”, he responded, not really paying attention to her, “But that’s not the only reason why I’m here”.

Mariana felt frustration rise in her stomach, but she fought to keep her voice level, “Then why are you here?”

“I wanted to discuss what you do with that team”.

She raised an eyebrow, not expecting that, “What do you mean by that?”

“You’re listed as a member now of that Unit that now lives here in Wayhaven. How did that happen?”

She shrugged, “After the murders, my mother offered the job, and I accepted it. In order to protect this town, having backup was the logical choice”.

Captain Sung paused for a moment, “I suppose I can’t argue with that”.

“Why do you ask?”, Mariana said, wondering what brought this on, “The team isn’t causing any trouble to the town, are they?”

“No, it’s not that”, Captain Sung confirmed, “Most people seem okay with having them around. It’s just- your father was also involved in the Agency like you are now. I suppose I just want to know how you are taking it all”.

Mariana was immediately remined of her argument she had with Rebecca about how she balancing her two jobs, but she shrugged her shoulders, “I believe I am taking it well, but honestly, I’m not certain”.

She was still surprised that he mentioned her father at all, having never heard of him speak of her father before.

He does little more than nod in response, but he walks over to her desk, and takes the file for the budget off of it.

“If you ever need help with any of this Mariana”, he said, “You know where to find me”.

With that strange sentence, he left the room, the file tucked under his arms, and Mariana closely followed behind him to go find Mason.

“You took forever”, he groaned as she walked back over to him.

“Sorry, sunshine”, she grinned, “Hope I was worth the wait”.

She moved forward to just slightly more then a peck on his lips, and she tried to ignore the feelings inside of her as he smiled into it.

“Definitely”

Mariana gave him another grin, and they walked out of the station together.

_My life may have been completely turned on its head, but it ain’t all bad._


	2. Day 8-Villian-Healing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tried something a bit different for the villain prompt, hope you like it!

Mariana had never had the best relationship with her mother.

And under further inspection, it was easy to see why. Rebecca had hardly been there for most of her life, preferring to leave her with babysitters or once she was older, by herself, not even bothering to send more then a card for her birthday or holidays, always promising that she would be there next year.

But it was all empty words, and those promises were never kept.

Then Rebecca had come into Wayhaven on her first case as a detective, and in Mariana’s eyes, tried to take over the investigation, choosing now to get involved in her life, after seeming to just not care for the majority of her childhood.

Even with how tense her relationship was with her, Mariana still wanted to prove herself to her, not matter what that took, but even though she was fine working with her, she always thought that she never wanted a healthier relationship with her.

That was until Rebecca had come to her, asking to make up for some of the lost time between them.

She had wanted to say how it was too little too late, how trying to fix it now would do nothing against the damage that was already inflicted.

But she did not, and instead she said:

_“We’ll just have to see how it goes. Not force anything”_

Mariana could hardly believe those were the words that came out of her mouth, and by the look on her face, Rebecca had been pretty surprised too, and if left her with a realization that she thought she would never have.

_Maybe I was wrong to make her the villain in my life._

Sure, she had not always been there for her. But maybe, after her father’s death, she just was not sure on how to be a parent, overwhelmed with her own grief, and the older that she got, the more and more she started to understand.

And it may have never been fair, but when was life ever fair?

She was doubtful that they would ever be truly close, but over the past few months, Rebecca had proved that she did care about her, and the least she could do in response to it all was not try and tear down her concern at every opportunity.

Because the way that the supernatural were starting to flood Wayhaven, she needed all the allies she could get, especially as she still mistrusted the Agency’s true intentions.

Speaking of Rebecca, she had asked Mariana to come and speak with her after she got off work, and she had been on edge all day about it.

“Rebecca”, she said as she walked through her office’s door, looking around the bare room, as clear of clutter as it always was.

“Mariana”, Rebecca said simply, her brown eyes looking at her warmly, an expression that she was not used to, “Have a seat”.

She could feel herself stiffen at the question, since the last time she had asked her to take a seat was their argument a few weeks ago about not handling the balance between being a detective and a liaison well, but she did so anyway, slouching in the seat that sat across from Rebecca’s desk.

“So, what is this about?”, she asked, more bite in her voice then she meant.

At her tone, the softness of her eyes was gone, replaced by the professional look that was normally on her face, “I suppose I wanted to discuss you’re place in the unit”.

“My place?”, Mariana said, fighting hard to keep her voice level, “Is my place in question?”

“Not at all”, Rebecca quickly said, “Think of more of a progress check of sorts. Each member of Unit Bravo seems to like you on the team, even Adam. They speak highly of your combat and leadership skills”.

Mariana felt herself blink hard at the mention of Adam. She had always liked making fun of him because he made it just so _easy_ , but she did suppose there was some semblance of respect forming between them.

But what really shocked her was the mention of her leadership skills. She had always seen herself as more of a follower then a leader, and she had no idea where any of the team got the notion that she was any type of leader.

“Under the right circumstances”, Rebecca said as if she reading her mind, “You do step up and take charge when needed. They look more to you then I think you realize”.

She could feel herself swallow hard at the admission, but she fought hard to not let her emotions show, “Where are you going with this?”

“You have made yourself part of the team quite well”, continued Rebecca, “Not that I expected anything less of you. The team is glad to be working with you, some more than others”.

Mariana almost choked, “You called me in her to talk about Mason and I? You know my relationships never go anywhere serious”.

“But that doesn’t seem the case this time, does it?”

It took everything inside of Mariana not to snap at the question, but she gave a weak shrug, unsure of the answer herself.

Rebecca took her silence as permission to continue, “I’m not going to get in the way of whatever is going on between the two of you. I just suppose I know how different that this all is for you”.

She scoffed, “And what the hell would that be?”

Even Mariana wanted to act like she had no idea what she talking about, she knew. She was letting herself become open to Mason of all people, and at first, she had thought he would have brushed her off, but she had been surprised to find he could be comforting when he really wanted to be. 

“I went through the same thing when I met your father”, said Rebecca, and Mariana could feel her eyebrows raise in surprise at the mention of him, “I was not used to letting people in, and yet, he still managed to worm his way into my life”.

A deep frown formed on Rebecca’s face as she talked, and not wanting her to have continue talking about him, she said, “I’ll be fine. It’ll just take some time to work out”.

“Of course,”, she said in response, turning to Mariana, “When the time comes, you’ll know what you need to do”.

“Thanks Rebecca”.

She gave Mariana a smile, which she returned, and she got up to go, slightly shocked at the honestly of the conversation, but not displeased by it, feeling a spark of hope all around her.


	3. Day 11-Transformation-Afraid This Must be Love

Mariana brushed the ends of her hair that fell to the end of her chin.

She had cut her hair just before becoming a detective, it symbolizing her transformation to her a career that she had never wanted, but had fallen into her lap anyway.

But that was hardly the change that was really on her mind right now.

The feelings that were starting to overwhelm her.

Mariana never wanted to be left vulnerable, only being able to rely on herself. She had kept everyone she had ever known at arms-length, knowing that letting someone in would only give the power to destroy her.

She had let that happen to her before, and it turned out to the biggest mistake of her life.

But then she met Mason.

She had found herself instantly attracted to him, and was pleased to find out the attraction was mutual, and Mariana fully expected for the both of them to engage in some fun together, and then leave it at that, but what happened instead sent her head into a spin.

Looking back, she first started to notice it after she met with the rest of the Unit after the fight with Murphy, but she had pushed that aside, thinking that she was finally going to get what was promised the months earlier.

It hit her like a truck when she realized what she really felt, and it took Mason getting severely injured while they saved Sanja for her to finally see it.

But she doubted that he would ever see her in same light, which she knew when getting into this and what Mariana had thought she had wanted, but now, that could not be further from the truth.

And the reality of that made her usual smirk soften.

However, just like all situations in her life, she was content to just ignore it until it went away, even if that never solved any of her other problems.

She sighed, happy to put that line of thoughts out of her head, slouched back in the armchair in the social room, expecting to just sit there until she had to leave for work.

“Mari”

At that she turned, recognizing the gruff voice, slightly surprised he was using her name and not his usual pet name.

“Yes?”, she said back to Mason.

“What are you still doing here?”, he asked, “I thought you left hours ago”.

Mariana took the moment to drink the sight of him in, and noticed his face was without its normal sneer, more solemn, and dare she say it, a softer expression then he normally wore.

_Is it not just me who is starting to feel this way?_

_Of course, you are, don’t be ridiculous._

“I was supposed to”, she answered honestly, “Ended up not going”.

Mason did not give her much more than a nod, and she was starting to get worried about him, confused by the mood that fallen over him, so she got up to stand next to him, and not knowing what to do with whatever had suddenly made him act differently, she instead grinned her usual mischievous grin, “Everything alright, sunshine?”

She internally regretted the action, wishing she could show her concern to someone without resorting back to her normal sarcastic self. 

He gave her a smirk, as if he was glad that she was back to teasing, “I don’t know. But I’m pretty sure you could help with that”.

With a compulsion that she did not want to ignore, she ran her fingers over the neckline of his shirt, “What do you have in mind?”

Mason moved closer to kiss her, but Mariana met his lips first, and she allowed the feeling that was familiar yet mind blowing to engulf her, pulling him by his shirt to bring him closer, and he wrapped his hand around the back her head in response. 

Every time they had broken apart, one of them would kiss the other again, and it had to have gone on for 10 minutes, but it just felt like a massive whirlwind to her.

“Mason”, she whispered after breaking apart what had to have been for the tenth time, which he gave a grunt of response to.

“Did you still mean what you said?”

A few nights ago, in a moment of weakness and confusion, regretting saying it as soon as it left her lips, she had asked him if the two of them were ever going to mean something, and his response had been that he did not know.

To most people, that would have been seemed as just another way to say no, but Mariana knew that it meant something different with Mason.

And as she thought about it, if someone were to ask her about her relationship with Mason, she would likely respond the same way. She had not had a true “serious” relationship since she was a teenager, and she really had no idea what that entailed. 

She felt him pause at the question, that same weird look going back over his face, and it made her wonder is that what he was thinking about earlier. 

“I don’t say things I don’t mean Mari”, Mason said, as nonchalantly as always, but with a meaning that she did not think he intended, “Surely you know that by now”.

While the doubts still existed, not sure if he was being truthful or was just saying that to get her to stop talking about it, but she decided that for now, she was going to take it as the truth.

Mariana may have not understood her own feelings, and to why Mason would be the one that she would become some lovesick teenager over, but she was willing to see where this all went.

_Time will show if it meant to last, you just have to trust in that._

She moved closer to kiss him again, adding fuel to the fire that burned between them, and something that she never wanted to die out.


	4. Day 15-Fearl-Failure

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tried something a bit different narrative-wise with this one. Hope it turned out okay!
> 
> Warnings: Blood, description of injury

“I’m sure you know why you’re here, Detective Gonzales”

Mariana looked down at her hands, swollen and red, with the start of bruises forming on every visible part of her skin, and she could already feel the bruises forming every else on her body.

She looked back up to someone she had just met today, but she was told they were a higher-up in the Agency, and she tried to steady her breathing, but she had not been able to catch her breath for the past few hours.

“What do you want me to say?”, she asked, the bite forming in her voice as almost a protective measure.

“I’m not trying to fight with you, Detective”, they answered calmly, “All I need is for you to explain what happened”.

“Are you not going to tell me how he is until I do or is there another reason for keeping this a secret for me?”, she growled, frustration filling her voice.

“I have not received word on how Specialist Agent Mason is doing”, they said as if she was not getting angry at all, “As soon as I do, you are the first person I will tell. I have no reason to keep that a secret from you”.

They took a pause, and when Mariana said nothing, they continued, “Just run me through what happened. You’re not losing your place in the Agency for this”

“Because that’s what I care about right now”, she scoffed.

“I have heard much about your mistrust of the Agency, Detective”, they said calmly, “But your own personal opinion does not affect our opinion of you. All I am asking is for you just tell me what happened. This is not an investigation, there is no reason to keep any secrets from me”.

“Fine”, Mariana spat, “If it will get you and every other Agency member off my back”.

She took a deep breath, and allowed herself to get lost in the memory again, even with her brain begging her not to.

~~~~

“They should have been back a long time ago”, Mariana heard Mason huff.

The rest of the team had gone ahead to scout the premises, leaving the two of them alone. They were at the edge of Wayhaven in the middle of the woods, the sun almost having completely set in the horizon, the light fading faster and faster.

“They’ll be fine”, Mariana said confidently, “As long as they stick together”.

Mason snorted, “When did you become such a team player?”

“I can be a team player”, she replied with a smile on her lips, “With the right team, of course. I’m sure you of all people would know that”.

A smirk formed on his face, “Oh, don’t I, sweetheart?”

Before Mariana could answer, Mason’s face suddenly changed into a sneer, “Get down”.

“Why?”, she hissed, but she did as she was told, and Mason dropped down to the ground with her.

“Someone’s coming”

“And what makes you think it’s not the rest of the team?”, she whispered. 

Mason did not give her an answer, but the hardened gaze in his grey eyes was enough for her to know that it was not.

“We know you’re here, Detective”, said a booming voice, “You might as well stop hiding”.

_Well, shit._

“It will only be a matter of seconds before the rest of your team is captured”, they continued, “You might as well reveal yourself”.

Mason suddenly grabbed her wrist, as if he was telling her to stay, and then he got up and walked over to the direction of the voice.

Ah, Agent Mason. I was wondering where you were”, that same voice said again, “Give up the Detective, and I’ll let the rest of your team go”.

“Not a chance”, he growled, and Mariana felt herself tense. She was not going to let him face this alone, even if he had told her to stay and though she knew that she was no diplomat, there had to be something that she could do. She was not going to just sit and hide here.

“We don’t need to fight”, she said as level as she could as she walked over to Mason, making sure to eye the gun and volt that was strapped to her hip. As went to stand next to him, he put his arm out in front of her, as if telling her to stay back.

“Oh Detective”, the voice continued, and Mariana saw it was the leader of the trappers that she had the unfortunate time meeting during the mission to save Sanja, standing there with six other trappers, “We are far past peaceful resolutions”.

She could barely keep up with what happening, but before she could even blink, the air filled with a haze of red fog, and it did not take much of her to realize what it was.

_DMB- Dead Man’s Blood_

Mason gave a hacking cough at the fog, and even though DMB had no effect on humans, it was getting harder and harder to see, and Mariana gripped his shoulder tightly, as if he would disappear if she did not.

One of the trappers came close to her, swinging at her head, and she dodged it, before throwing her own blow right back at them, their face covered, all she was able see was a pair of light brown eyes.

In the midst of everything, she had gotten separated from Mason, who was phenomenally still on his feet and fighting despite the DMB, and by the time the crimson fog had cleared, she heard a loud crack like a gunshot, and she heard someone fall to the ground.

Mariana realized in horror that it was Mason.

After that, all else was forgotten, and she fought her way over to him, a trapper dangerously close to him, and she scarcely remembered dragging them off before kneeling down to his side.

But it did not.

That is when the details got fuzzy, and all Mariana could remember was swinging at anyone that got close to her, her hands still soaked in Mason’s blood, hearing him struggling to breathe, as she took out all of the trappers with her own hands, never reaching for her gun or volt and even though they definitely managed to get some blows on her from the bruises that were starting to form on every part of her, she still was able to knock each one of the trappers out. She hardly understood how she was able to do so all by herself, but she supposed that it was adrenaline only that kept her standing.

“Mason”, she whispered, finally kneeling down back at his side, her heart roaring so hard that it was all that she could hear, and she saw him weakly move his eyes at the sound of his name.

“You’re going to be alright”, she said, her hands still covering the open wound that was still refusing to heal.

_You have to be._

At this point, the blood now covered up to her wrists, and she saw Mason’s eyes roll to the back of his head.

_No…No…_

“Mason”, she whispered at first, but it was not quiet for long, her voice almost turning into a scream, “Mason! Mason!”

_I can’t lose him, not like this._

“Please don’t leave me”, she begged, a sob forming in her throat, and before she knew it, she had tears at the edge of her eyes, something that she had not had for years.

“Mari!”

She turned to look up at the noise, to see Felix come running up to her, panic forming in his expression as he came bounding up to them.

“What happened?”

Mariana did all she could to form a response, but anything that she tried to say just got caught in her throat, and all that came out was just a choke of emotion.

Adam and Nate were not far behind Felix, and she could barely see the panic in their expressions, her own eyes so full with tears that stung as if they were made of glass.

“We need to get him out of here”, Nate said, his voice calm, but the worry in his eyes evident, to which Adam nodded in response.

“Detective, you need to let him go. He’ll be fine once we get him back to the Agency”.

She felt herself freeze, unable to move, and Adam firmly grabbed her shoulder to push her back, and in her shocked state, she spun around and tried to punch him in the face, but tiredness had already overtaken her, so he dodged in easily, still holding on to her rigidly, and Nate picked Mason up before disappearing back into the forest.

Adam finally let go of her, and she slumped to the ground at his support gone, and she could see Felix walk over to her as her eyes went back to her bloodstained hands.

“Hey, Mari”, he said gently, trying to get her to look at him, “It’s all going to be okay”.

_No, it’s not._

Maybe if she had just stayed hidden, maybe this would not have happened. If she had thought to take out the leader first, if she had-

“It’s not your fault”, she heard Felix say, but it was if she was listening from underwater, the words just barely audible.

_Yes, it is._

_You’re a failure. You’ll never be able to save ones that you care about._

She got the sudden desire to yell at him and tell him to leave her alone, but she did not, instead trying to keep the tears from falling down her face, Mariana’s eyes still fixated on the blood on her hands.

_Mason’s blood_

“Alright, we’ll bring her back”, Adam’s voice cut in, and she turned to see hang up his phone and shove it back in his pocket.

“We need to leave”, he said, turning to her, “We’ll bring all the trappers back to the Agency”.

All fight at that point had left her, so she got up, trying to tear her eyes away from the scene, doing her best to focus on Adam in front of her.

~~~

“Then what happened?”, the Agency Higher-Up asked.

“They took me back to the Agency”, Mariana said, her voice starting to shake, “And I spent what had to have been hours trying to wash the blood off my hands. No one would tell me how he was, and I ended up yelling at Elidor before I was told to go here”.

“And you did”.

“I was told if I wanted information, I would have to talk to you”, Mariana continued, frustration rising in her voice “But I have not gotten any since I came here, so I’m going to assume that was a lie”.

“What I don’t understand”, they said, ignoring her last comment, “Is how you managed to take on all six trappers by yourself?”

“To be honest, I don’t know how”, she replied, “All I can say is that adrenaline overtook me. My whole memory of the event is hazy”.

They nodded, “It was an intense situation, there is no doubt about that. I cannot fault you for the actions that you took”.

A knock at the office door distracted Mariana from answering, and the door opened to her shock, Tapeesa.

“I have Elidor’s report”, she whispered, giving a small smile at her, and she handed it to the higher-up, and it took all of Mariana’s self-control not to rip it out of her hands.

“Specialist Agent Mason will be alright”, they said after reading through the report, “He will just need time to heal”.

She felt herself give such a big sigh of relief that it caused her whole body to slump, and they continued, “However, Elidor has not opened his room up for visitors”.

At any other time, she had may have fought against that, but at the moment, she could care less, letting the fear that had overwhelmed her these past few hours to subside, just a little.

“Does he know why Mason was not healing?”

They shook their head, a frown on their lips, “Unfortunately, no. But they are looking into that now” They then turned to Tapeesa, who had been standing quietly, “You’re free to go, Tapeesa”.

She left, and Mariana turned back to them, “Am I able to go too, or-?”

“I’ve gotten what I needed from you”, they responded, “But, if you need anything, Detective Gonzales, I will do my best to help you in any way that I can”.

“Thanks”, she said, barely looking at them, and leaving the office in an almost sprint.

Mariana made her way to the hospital wing in the Agency, looking into the windows to see if she could find Mason.

And she did, his eyes closed in the hospital bed, IVs hooked up to his wrist, and she noticed that a cut on his head had still not healed.

Even though she wanted to enter and ignore what she was told, she realized that she could not.

_It’s your fault he’s here now._

She wanted to leave, run until she collapsed, anything to get away from the scene before her, but it was like she was frozen, and she could not look away.

In her own nervousness, she ran her fingers over the snapdragon tattoo on the inside of her right arm, trying to distract herself from the feelings that threatened to spill over.

“Mariana”

She turned to see Rebecca walking over to her, and she could feel herself tense almost against her will at her arrival.

“Look, I really can’t take being interrogated again right now”

“I’m not here to talk to you about what happened”

“You’re not?”, she asked in honest surprise.

“You’ve had enough of that today I’m sure”, she answered.

Mariana sighed, and she moved her gaze back to Mason, her heart tightening as she did so, “This is all my fault”.

“It is not”, Rebecca said firmly, leaving no room for discussion, “You did what you had to in such a situation. No one can fault you for that”.

She looked down at the ground, not fully believing her, and Rebecca moved her hand on her shoulder, but gently enough that she could pull away if she wanted.

“I know this has been really rough on you, and I know that you need time”, she whispered, “But if you want me to, I’ll be here in any way you’ll have me”.

All Mariana could do was to give a weak nod at the statement, staring at Mason through the glass, her heart feeling like it had fallen to her feet.

I’ll find some way to fix this Mason. I promise.


	5. Day 19-Wolf-Confusion

“You’ve got to be kidding me”, Mason heard Adam groan. 

“The Agency thinks it best if their two top Units work together on this mission”, Agent Gonzales continued as he had not spoken, “This decision is completely out of my hands”.

“Oh, come on Adam”, Mariana broke in, a smirk sliding on her face, “Afraid they’ll show you up?”

Adam gave a growl in response to that, and Mason could feel a smirk on his own face, and he gave her a nod of approval.

“It’s only for one mission”, Nate broke in, “It’s not a permanent situation”

Before Agent Gonzales could say something else, the door behind them swung open, and they all watched as Unit Alpha came bounding in the meeting room.

“Hope it hasn’t been too boring without us”, Maaka grinned, turning to Mariana.

“We’re not all emotionless statues”, she answered, her lips curving into a mischievous smile, and Felix gave a bright laugh at the statement, “Some of us have plenty of fun”.

She turned to Mason as she said so, giving him a wink, and he gave her another smirk in return.

Adam was not as pleased with the statement, visibly tensing up, looking like he wanted to be absolutely anywhere else.

“Can we just get this over with?”

“Eagar, are you?”, Tane said, and Agent Gonzales finally broke in.

“We do have a mission that needs to be done, we can leave this talk for later”

“That sounds good to me”, Lesedi said, giving her a warm smile.

Nate gave a sigh of relief, and they all looked to Agent Gonzales.

“I’m sure all of you know about the kidnappings going on”, she began, “The Agency has reason to believe where they might strike next”.

“And why does this need all nine of us?”, Adam interrupted, “Unit Bravo is assigned to Wayhaven, that should be more than enough”.

“They want to make sure that nothing gets through the cracks”, she continued, “This has nothing to do with anyone’s skill. It is simply a precautionary measure”.

Adam sighed, and he turned to look out the window, but he did not seem to have anything else to say.

“You’re going to need to increase patrols around the downtown of Wayhaven”, Agent Gonzales continued, “All of the previous kidnappings happened there, and it seems that the culprit is comfortable in that area. “I’ll let you decide how you wish to do so, and I have already spoke to Mariana about what the police station needs to do”.

“Is this actually going to help anything?”, Felix interjected, “We still don’t have any idea who to actually look for”.

“It’s better than nothing”, Nate answered, and Agent Gonzales gave a nod.

“I’ll leave you to it then”.

She left, and the two teams were now left together.

“So, are we actually going to be able to do something?”, Tamiko said, breaking the silence that had fallen.

Lesedi laughed softly, “Yes”, and then she turned to Mariana, “You know this town better than any of us, perhaps you could start?”

She gave a look of gratitude in return, but she also looked back to Adam, who to Mason’s surprise, gave an affirming nod.

“Wayhaven’s downtown is set up quite simply”, she explained, “One central point in the center, with jutting paths in four directions. It’s not large by any means, and to patrol the full way around it doesn’t take long for me, so it definitely shouldn’t for you guys”

“How long are we supposed to be patrolling for?”, Maaka asked.

“Agent Gonzales said until further notice”, Mariana answered.

Then that is what we do”, Nate nodded.

“With 4 paths, we could split up into our normal units”, Adam said, a certain stiffness in his voice that had still had not disappeared since learning they were working with Unit Alpha.

“Works with me”, Lesedi agreed, “We’ll take the first patrol in about an hour”

With everything sorted, the group started to disperse, Adam leaving at the first opportunity, and before Mason could make his way over to Mariana, Tane got there first.

He suppressed a growl in his throat, and it annoyed him to why it upset him. Mariana was not _his_ by any means, why did this bother him? 

“Congratulations on the treaty”, Tane said with a sultry tone in his voice that Mason decided he hated, “Not that I expected anything less from someone like you”

The flirtation was obvious, and he fully expected Mariana to run with it. He knew she had the same aversion to serious relationships that he did, why would this be any different?

And for the life of him, he did not understand why he wanted to step in.

But Mariana’s response was the complete opposite of what he expected.

“Thank you”, she said simply, giving him a nod, and there was a certain firmness to her voice as if she was telling him that flirting with her would get him nowhere.

He was not quite sure to take it, and it just someone left him even more confused.

Tane looked to Mason, and then back at Mariana before continuing, a different tone in his voice, “I’m sure your team is happy to have you”.

“They better be”, she remarked, her sarcastic tongue taking full focus, “I didn’t almost die for them for nothing”.

Tane laughed, “Good luck with it all, Mari”

He then made his way back to the rest of his team, and Mariana came striding up next to him.

“You normally tear your cigarettes in half, or is that a new thing, sunshine?”

He looked down at the cigarette in his hand, which he had taken out but never lit, it now in two pieces in his palm.

_I didn’t even notice I did that. Weird_

He shoved the pieces in one of his pockets, and he hesitated to say anything else.

“You seem rather tense”, and even though her tone was light, from the way that she knit her eyebrows together, there was true worry as well, “You doing okay?”

He brushed it off, “I’m fine”.

Mason’s whole head was a whirlwind of emotions that he did not understand, and he could not get Mariana’s interaction with Tane out of his head, and why how she handled it made happy was beyond him.

Of course, you’re free to try and work out the tension, sweetheart”, he purred, but it was almost hesitant, and he was unsure as to why.

As if noticing his pause, Mariana gave him a softer look, but said anyway, “I would be thrilled to. But we got a mission to complete”.

He almost groaned at that, but she added afterward, “The time will only make it all the more worth it”.

“I’ll hold you to that”, he said, and she gave him a devilish grin in response.

“You know I always keep my promises, sunshine”.

But what had started as a sarcastic pet name for him had turned to do something different, and while it shocked him to hear it without sarcasm, he was starting to like it.

She gave him another grin, and he allowed this new warm feeling to course through him, even for just a moment.


	6. Day 25-Filthy-At Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> My attempt to a (kind of?) deeper relationship between Mason and Mari

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Had a lot of trouble with this one- but I hope you like it!

With nothing else to do, Mason was watching Mariana’s ball python.

He was waiting for her to get out of the shower, and while he did, he had been observing her snake, who was curled up on one of the branches in its terrarium, and for the time that he had started watching it, it had not moved at all, staring back at him with large black eyes.

It was starting to unnerve him, but he was not sure why, and he felt himself give a sneer at the snake in response.

_I don’t know why Mari likes this animal so much anyway._

The ball python seemed quite unbothered by that, continuing to watch him anyway, and he heard someone come down the hall to the main room.

“Mason, are you bothering Kaa now?”, he heard someone laugh.

He turned to see Mariana, her hair slicked back away from her face, still damp, and he could see more of her without her bangs in her face, and he was surprised by how different she looked. She had already gotten dressed in her normal black t-shirt and jeans, her snapdragon tattoo on the inside of her right arm clearly visible, and she moved to stand next to him.

“You know, if you’re trying to have a staring contest, snakes don’t have eyelids”, she continued, “She’ll win every time”

Mason rolled his eyes, but he gave a snort.

“Thanks for staying tonight”, she suddenly said, almost breathlessly, and he watched as her eyes grew wide as if she did not mean to say it. 

He shrugged, trying to bury the sudden flutter his stomach at his words, “It’s nothing”

But even though he said it, he was not sure if that was true himself.

Mariana raised an eyebrow, as if noticing his sudden hesitation, but she did not push it, something he was grateful for, “Well, I’m glad you stayed regardless”

_I am too._

Mason could feel himself flinch at the thought, but he did his best to hide it.

With the sudden deepness of the moment broken, she gave him a bright grin, “Well, they’ll be expecting us soon. I’ll be ready to go in a few minutes, sunshine”

She then seemed to waltz out of the main area into the kitchen, and it surprisingly felt strange to stand there by himself all of a sudden, so he decided to follow her.

Mariana had made her bowl of cereal once he joined her, and he took the moment to look around the kitchen, the cabinets made out of dark wood that contrasted nicely with the stainless-steel appliances that were in the room. He had always found her apartment strangely comforting, but he supposed that as just because it did not assault his senses as much as everywhere else did.

_Kind of like being around her is._

“Are you trying to make me blush?”, she suddenly asked, pulling him out of his thoughts, a small laugh on her lips, “You’ve been staring at me pretty intently”

Mason smirked, “I wouldn’t say no to doing that, sweetheart”

“Then you are going to have to try a bit harder than that”, Mariana smirked right back.

“And I’m all for trying”

She gave a small chuckle, and she put her bowl in the sink, the only amount of clutter in her otherwise neat apartment were the filthy dishes that piled up there, and he must have been looking at her strangely, because she raised an eyebrow

“You’ve got a problem?”

“Not sure why you let them pile up like that”, he said.

“If it bothers you, then you are more than free to wash them yourself”, she replied, “But I think that’s about a snowball’s chance in hell, sunshine”

He scoffed, but he did not try to hide the small smile on his lips.

Mariana then moved past him back to the small closet next to the front door, pulling on her pair of black heels that only made her taller than she already was, standing the same height of him already without heels.

She ran her hands through her still damp short hair, and she made her way to the front door, “You ready to go?”

Mason moved closer to her, and he reached out to run his fingers down the line of her jaw, “Who said we had to go now?”

She ran her tongue over her lips, a mischievous smile brightening her whole face, “I suppose no one did. What did you have in mind?”

He moved closer to capture her lips in a kiss, which she returned with fervor, pulling him closer to her, and even though he could have resisted it if he really wanted to, he was more than okay with this.

The two of them continued at it, and they moved back so Mariana’s back was against the door, letting the mad rush of passion overwhelm him, not caring about anything else.

Mason was not quite sure when they broke apart, but he exchanged gazes with her, her bright hazel eyes even more green than normal.

“It’s nice to have you here”, she muttered, seemingly distracted, before she moved her head back like she had not meant to say that.

He swung his arm over her shoulders, bringing her close enough to rest on his chest.

“You’re not so bad yourself, sweetheart”

“Oh, am I?”, Mariana challenged, “Sounds like high praise, sunshine”

“Look as much into it as you want”, he said, almost hoping that she would look into it deeper then just a flirtation, but he was confused as to why.

_Why do I feel this confusion?_

_It’s been happening a lot recently._

“Well, we should get going”, Mariana said, breaking the silence that had filled between them, “Or otherwise Felix is going to be blowing up my phone”.

“Sounds good to me”

The two of them left soon after that, and Mason gave one last look at her apartment before leaving, feeling at ease with Mariana at his side.


	7. Day 28-Vengeful-Stolen Kiss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one was actually inspired by this tumblr post (https://twc-thoughts-you-didnt-ask-for.tumblr.com/post/630210550463332353/i-kinda-see-an-m-mancing-detective-getting) from @twc-thoughts-you-didnt-ask-for so thank you for that! I hope you enjoy!

Mason knew his evening was ruined as soon as that goddamned reporter walked through the door.

_Mari’s ex._

She never seemed to have any issue dealing with him, her snark always one step ahead of him every time, but he had always bothered him. Something about him always seemed to find its way under his skin.

_And I’m really not sure why, but I also really don’t care about the why._

Mariana and the reporter were apparently not even that close to begin with when they had their falling out, her aversion to serious relationships still predating it, and it was more of a fling than anything else.

And while he trusted her, it did not stop him from wanting to give him a piece of his mind.

_He’s really going to regret walking in here._

As he walked through door, he could feel his stare transfer to him, and it took everything in him to avoid a sneer.

“Oh hello, _Agent_ ”, he cooed, “It’s _so_ amazing to see you again”

Mason was unable to suppress the growl in his throat. The only other time that he had met the man was when he had been stricken with the maa-aslused disease and was passed out on Mariana’s couch, and he was sure he did not like him any more when he was awake.

Before he had the unfortunate task of saying something back to him, he heard the office door close behind him, and Mariana walked up to the two of them, and he heard her give out a long sigh.

“Oh, joy, it’s you”, she said, rolling her eyes, “I did think today was going too smoothly. It just seems right that you would show up”

“Don’t be like that, _angel_ ”, he replied, and Mason could feel himself tense at the pet name.

“No, actually, I think I will be that way”, she snapped back, a bite in her words, her hazel eyes narrowing, “What do you want, Bobby?”

“Just to ask you a few questions”, he shrugged, but from the sudden glint in his eyes, he had something else on his mind.

“About what?”, Mariana asked, “And are you going to show up at my door at 1 in the morning if I don’t?”

“We’ll go over what this is about”, the reporter-Bobby-said, “I don’t think this would be a good thing to ask in such a place”

_Such a place?_

“If this is not an emergency”, she stated flatly, “Then I was off 30 minutes off ago. This will have to wait until morning if you want to keep pushing all of this”

“Come on, don’t be like that”, he purred, and Mason gave him a glare at the tone of his voice, a glare that he very pointedly ignored.

“I’m afraid it is going to be like that”, she said, “Go somewhere else to find a story, because you aren’t going to find it by snooping around me. You might as well go ahead and crawl back home”

The reporter moved a step closer to her, but in a blur of motion that he hardly felt himself doing, he made it to Mariana first.

“Excuse me”, he barely heard himself mutter before pushing past that reporter and capturing her lips in a kiss.

Mason could hear her give a rare sound of surprise before returning it, and while it did not last for long, the adrenaline that was pulsing through his veins would suggest otherwise.

When he broke it, he allowed himself to stare at her wide eyes, and he gave a smirk, which she then weakly returned.

It was then that he remembered that Bobby was even there, and he turned to look at him, who looked like he was doing his absolute best to hide his own surprise.

“I’ll-see you around, angel”, he stammered out, doing his best to give a wink before going straight to the door at the station.

Mariana gave a small laugh, before turning back to him, “Why the hell did you do that?”

At seeming that he did not seem to have an answer for that, which he supposed was true, she continued, “I mean, I’m not complaining. I just never expected that from you, I guess?”

He shrugged, not knowing what else to say.

_I’m really not sure why._

_Can’t say I regret doing it though._

“Well, thank you anyway, sunshine”, she grinned, “Part of me does hope that will keep him away forever, but I know that he’ll rear his ugly head up again.”

Mason gave a snort, even as he shook his head.

“If all of that is done”, she said, “Then I’m ready to get back to the warehouse”

“Are you going to tell anyone?”, he asked, suddenly getting the urge to.

“I haven’t thought that far ahead yet”, she answered, “But I’m sure Felix would _love_ to hear about it”

He could feel himself grimace at the thought, knowing that was something that Felix would absolutely eat up, and he could almost hear the weeks of teasing that would result from that.

_I’d really like to avoid all of that._

“I won’t if you don’t want me to”, Mariana continued, “However, that doesn’t mean that I’m not going to tease you about it”

Mason gave her the hint of a smile, “Oh, you will?”

“I’m sure you know me well enough by now”, she said, a sly grin starting to form on her face.

He rolled his eyes, but he was unable to hide the smirk on his face, “I do”

And even those were two simple words, he put more in them then he was ever expecting.

She raised an eyebrow, but did not press the subject further, instead brushing one of her chin-length locks of hair out of her face, “Well, I’m ready to go when you are”

Mason gave her a nod, and they both proceeded to walk out of the station together, moving his hand to rest on her left shoulder blade as they did so.


	8. Day 30-Night-Stargazing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little bit of a Mason and Mari "date" :) Hope you like it!

Mariana was never the type to “date”, and she never did see that changing.

_And it’s not like Mason of all people would ever change that._

Dating was just a long and complicated process that she had no issue in, preferring to get down to what they both had come for and leave it at that. It was simpler, and there were no confusing feelings from either side that tore them apart in every which way.

_I suppose that is happening now, isn’t it?_

_And if it’s not, what the hell do you call it then?_

But as she thought about it, maybe this was a date, and she tried to hide a chuckle

_Tina would probably say it is._

Even if she would never admit so out loud.

Both her and Mason were spending another night on the roof, staring at the stars that seemed to go on and on forever, her head in his lap, and even with the chill from the night air she found herself remarkably warm next to him.

_If this is what a date is, I’m not sure I can really complain._

One thing that was she was starting to find her appreciation for was silence. It had always been something that she had shied away from, never being able to work without at least something in the background, but maybe he was right after all.

_Perhaps silence could be nice after all._

_Even if it does leave me to my thoughts more._

She looked back up at the stars, and she almost wished that she knew the names of the constellations and how to spot them, but it was never something she had been interested in before.

_I suppose you could say I’m interested now._

“You’ve been quiet”, Mason gruffly broke in, and she felt a smile form across her face.

“So, what if I am?”, she asked, “That doesn’t seem like something you would complain about, sunshine”

“I’m not complaining”, he replied, unable to hide his eye roll.

“Then what is it then?”

“It’s just different”, he shrugged, a flash of confusion going across his face, but it was bitten back down the next second.

“Because I don’t know when to shut up normally?”, Mariana said, throwing him a smirk.

He gave a snort, but he did seem to genuinely amused.

_Which is definitely a new look for him._

_It’s one I think I like though._

“I like being out here”, she suddenly spoke up, her voice coming out as more genuine than it usually did, “It’s peaceful”

“Didn’t think you had much liking for peace”, Mason scoffed, but there was no malice behind it, “You seemed to like the feeling of being overwhelmed”

She gave a light chuckle at that, “Just because I like the city doesn’t mean I like the feeling of being overwhelmed”

“Then what would you call it then?”

“In the city”, she explained, “No one knows who you are, and no one really cares. People are too busy with their own lives to care about yours. But even if you live the most boring life imaginable, it feels interesting because your there in the midst of everything. There is never a dull moment in all”

“Then why did you come back to Wayhaven?”, he said, as he could almost not avoid asking, “I can never get a read on how happy you are here”

_Never get a read?_

The statement surprised her, but she did her best to bury it down.  
“I got the offer”, she shrugged, “And I was already torn up after Rebecca prevented me from joining the army, so at the time I never really cared. I was just happy to have a job”

_Even if I would have preferred just staying an officer instead of becoming a detective._

Mariana had been expecting Mason to interject, but he did not, instead continuing to gaze her with his steal-colored eyes.

“And then I met Tina”, she continued, “And she has never let me go ever since then” She gave a small laugh, “Didn’t get much choice in the matter, but we pretty much became best friends. It was the first time that I had someone stick by me for a long period of time. Never really made many true friends in high school, and my mother of course was never around”

_Even if I know now that it was not entirely her fault._

_Rebecca could have made just a little more on an effort._

She sighed before continuing, “It made me feel at home for the first time, and even while I still miss things about the big city, there really is nothing that made up for that”.

Mariana looked back up to Mason, who had not said a word the entire time, “And now, I got all of you guys, so I got even more of a reason to stay”

_And you’re a reason too._

She felt him exhale at that, “I’m not quite sure what I expected you to say, but that wasn’t it”

“Sorry”, she said, giving him a grin, “I don’t know quite why I started to ramble”

“It’s fine”, he replied, and even though they were two small words, there was a surprisingly amount of weight to them, a weight that she was still unsure of the meaning of.

_But I would not be opposed to finding it out._

Mariana got up from his lap, the back of her head starting to feel numb from sitting still for so long, but she moved back closer to Mason, who put her arm around her shoulder in response, and let herself be comforted by his presence.

_I don’t know if anyone would ever describe his presence as comforting, and for a while, I don’t think I would have either, but it is the only way that I can do so._

She moved her head to lean against his shoulder, enjoying the strangely sweet moment for the two of them as the night slowly faded into morning.


End file.
